


Home (The Where the Heart Is Remix)

by debirlfan



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: ATA Gene, M/M, Medical Experimentation, Post-Canon, Remix, Remix Revival
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-10
Updated: 2017-09-10
Packaged: 2018-12-25 23:39:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12046707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/debirlfan/pseuds/debirlfan
Summary: Everything has a price. Even going home.





	Home (The Where the Heart Is Remix)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [HYPERFocused](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HYPERFocused/gifts).
  * Inspired by [And Never Brought to Mind](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1746536) by [HYPERFocused](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HYPERFocused/pseuds/HYPERFocused). 



Sheppard was on him almost before he'd cleared the wormhole. “What the hell are you doing here, McKay?” he demanded, eyes blazing. “ Carson said--”

McKay didn't give him a chance to finish. “I know damn well what Carson said, Colonel. I also know there are three Wraith cruisers just over twenty-four hours out, and two of Atlantis's shield generators are down.”

“Zelenka is--”

“Unless you've found some Ancient cloning technology while I've been gone, Zelenka is only one man. He can't be in two places at once.” McKay thrust one of the bags of gear he was carrying at Sheppard. “Either shut up and carry something or get out of the way.”

Sheppard stared at the bag for a long moment, then finally took it. “Once the generators are fixed, you'll go back?” he asked quietly.

“We'll talk.” It was all that McKay could promise.

 

* * *

 

 

It was a near thing. The second generator had been extensively damaged, but they'd cannibalized parts and had patched it together, bringing it on line only an hour before the arrival of the Wraith ships. Somehow, the shield had held. From the command chair, Sheppard had finished off the cruisers.

Half asleep on his feet, McKay stumbled to the door of his old quarters. He was both surprised and unsurprised when the door slid open to his command.

His personal items were gone, of course, but the furniture remained, seemingly untouched since he'd left for Earth. He pulled off his radio headset and dropped it on the desk, then kicked off his boots and collapsed gratefully onto the bare mattress, not bothering to remove the rest of his clothes. Adrenalin and caffeine were wonderful drugs, but they had their limits. Between the time he'd spent arguing with the IOA and the time he'd spent on Atlantis, McKay had been on his feet for nearly two days.

He woke to find a pillow tucked under his head and a blanket covering him. McKay sensed that he wasn't alone even before he rolled over and found Sheppard slouching in the room's only chair, his legs crossed and chin propped on his chest, obviously dozing. With the Wraith threat approaching, Sheppard undoubtedly hadn't slept either. McKay tried to move quietly, but even as he threw off the blanket and sat up, Sheppard's eyes flicked open.

“Shield holding?” McKay asked, unnecessarily. If it wasn't, he would have already heard the alarms.

“Yeah.” Sheppard reached for a thermos that sat on the desk. “Coffee?”

McKay rolled his eyes. “You have to ask?” He didn't know how long he'd slept, but he knew he could use a few more hours, especially given the argument that was coming.

Sheppard poured a cup and passed it to him, then poured a second for himself. It allowed McKay time for a couple careful sips of the hot liquid before Sheppard spoke. “Things are under control here. It's time for you to go.”

One more sip of coffee. “I'm not going back.” He'd made the decision even before he'd left Earth.

“You can't stay, Rodney. You know what Carson found, you can't--”

McKay cut him off. “I know. I double checked his results, remember?”

_It had started as something of a joke. Miko teasing at dinner one night about how certain members of the expedition were either prematurely graying or losing their hair. The perplexed frown on Beckett's face, and the way he'd suddenly excused himself from the table. A couple days later, McKay had been the first one Beckett told. He'd wanted confirmation of his research. When the doctor had gotten it, he'd apologized profusely. More than once._

_“Rodney, I'm so sorry. Of all the possible side effects, I never once dreamed the gene therapy could do something like this. You...all of you...are going to have to go back to Earth. Away from,” His dismay evident, Beckett had gestured widely with his hands, “This.”_

“I'm staying.” McKay repeated. “Zelenka can't do it alone, and you've lost too many good people.”

_Lost them because of what Beckett had discovered. The gene therapy he'd invented had had an unexpected side effect, one that hadn't been immediately obvious. In those people for whom it was successful, it also caused premature aging. Aging that was accelerated by the use of Ancient tech. The more one used or was around Ancient devices, the faster one aged. Worse, it was cumulative. They'd sent those who'd had the therapy back to Earth. A number of military and a larger number of scientists. Including McKay._

“Woolsey won't allow it. For that matter, the IOA won't allow it.”

_McKay didn't comment on the irony of Sheppard citing authority. Sheppard, who seldom listened to a thing that authority said, unless it happened to coincide with his goals._

“They've already agreed. Ultimately, Atlantis is Earth's last line of defense, and they need me here to make sure that there is an Atlantis.”

Sheppard scowled. “And what do they do when it kills you?”

McKay sighed. “That's not going to happen for awhile. I'll stay away from as much of the tech as I can.”

_Not that there was much chance of avoiding it. Not on Atlantis, where the mere presence of a gene carrier was enough to unlock doors and turn on the lights._

“I still don't like it.”

“I know.”

“You stay the hell out of the Puddle Jumpers. If you need something turned on--”

“I'll call you. Or Miko, or Carson, or Lorne.” _Natural gene carriers didn't have the same adverse reaction that those who had received the therapy had._

“You're sure I can't change your mind?”

“Not a chance.”

Sheppard nodded, accepting defeat. He let out a long breath. “I've missed you, Rodney,” he admitted.

“I've missed you, too, John. It may have only been four months, but it feels like I've been gone forever.” _He had missed Atlantis; he'd missed Teyla and Dax, the evenings they'd all watched movies together and ate popcorn. The hours exploring the nearly endless rooms and corridors of Atlantis. The planets where they'd made friends and found trading partners. Even the terrifying battles with the Wraith and Replicators. But more than anything else, he had missed John, and the nights they spent together. Alone._

Setting his cup on the desk, Sheppard rose and moved to sit on the edge of the bed beside him. “You're home now.”

_Yes. He was home._


End file.
